Kirk Thompson, the one-legged mechanic, works on this car. - Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer

Kirk Thompson lost a leg, but found his niche. His meteoric rise to become a top-rate mechanic in St Thomas is nothing short of miraculous, especially as he was never formally taught the complex skills needed to repair motor vehicles.

Thompson's story becomes even more extraordinary when one notices that he has only one leg.

"I was riding a big bike on my way to Seaforth, St Thomas, when something happened and me end up in a van front. Me stay in hospital for about two weeks and they had to take off mi leg," Thompson told The Gleaner.

"Mi come back from hospital and mi never have any help except mi family, so one time me did give up on life," Thompson added.

Robbed of greatest joys

What was most painful for the then 21-year-old was that the loss of his leg seemed set to rob him of the greatest joys in his life, driving and working on motor vehicles.

"It was all about driving mostly and then me go lose the right foot and you know that a right foot drive vehicle.

"Before the accident, mi used to do the mechanic work. Mi father used to have trucks and me watch them do mechanic work around the yard and mi just stay with them and learn the trade. Mi never go no school go learn to fix car," Thompson said.

After the accident, Thompson moved to Montego Bay, St James, where he worked on a truck transporting rice and his job was to jump on the rice bags with the one leg.

"But the ankle start swell up and the physiotherapist had warned me not to do too much movement on the one foot. Mi go back to Duhaney Pen, St Thomas, and a friend teach me the electrical part to fix car alternator and starter, wire music system and put set in cars so if the mechanic work never happen, mi could do the electrical part," added Thompson.

That was the start of the re-emergence of his motor-vehicle repair business. As news spread, some former customers returned, while new ones were added to his list almost daily.

Resumed driving

Not content, Thompson decided that he wanted to resume his driving and, in quick time, was comfortable around the steering of any type of motor vehicle.

"Driving is my hobby even without the right leg. Left leg do everything; change gear, gas and brake. Me drive any vehicle, standard, automatic, truck, anything," Thompson said before showing the Gleaner team his driving skills.

"Nuff man wonder how me do it and even drive with me to see how the one-foot man do it."

Thompson has also started training some young men in the Morant Bay area in the basics of the mechanic trade and that's something he enjoys.

For him, the accident which robbed him of his right leg was life altering but not life ending.

"On certain occasions, me miss it (the right leg) but me still enjoying life from club to party to anything else that is fun. I want to tell everyone in Jamaica that if you lose a limb, your life is not done. No matter the leg, the hand, the finger you lose, just try. Never you tell yourself that you can't do anything," Thompson said in his message to persons who might find themselves in a similar position.

arthur.hall@gleanerjm.com